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Apprenticeship Rules, 1992

Rule 3: Standard of education

Rule 3 of the Apprenticeship Rules, 1992 with the current 2025 amendment overlay, practical controls and linked Act provisions.

Law Hub L8Data reviewed on 17 July 2026India-first compliance

Rule purpose

Rule 3 operationalises section(s) 3 of the Apprentices Act and should be read with the applicable Schedule, curriculum, portal workflow and adviser directions.

Current amendment overlay: The 2025 amendment aligned graduate, degree, technician and technician-vocational eligibility with Schedule IA and added an approval gate for degree apprentices after final examination.

Employer implementation

  • Use the current portal fields and contract format, but retain an offline legal checklist so portal configuration does not become the only control.
  • Map every apprentice to category, qualification, trade, duration, stipend, supervisor and approving authority.
  • Keep dated screenshots/acknowledgements for registration, changes, termination, stipend and reporting.
  • Escalate State/jurisdiction and adviser questions before onboarding rather than after a portal rejection.

Rule text extract

The bundled 1992 Rules PDF is an older consolidated source. The amendment overlay above controls where later Gazette changes apply.

3.   Standard of Education -

     (1)    A person shall be eligible for being engaged as a trade apprentice - if he
            satisfies the minimum        educational     qualifications as specified in
            Schedule-1.

     (2)    A person shall be eligible for being engaged as a Graduate or Technician or
            Technician (Vocational) apprentice if he satisfies one of the minimum
            educational qualifications specified in Schedule-IA:

      Provided that: -

      (a)    no Engineering Graduate or Diploma Holder or Vocational Certificate
             holder who had training or job experience for a period one year or more,
             after the attainment of these qualifications shall be eligible for being
             engaged as an apprentice under the Act;

      (b)    no Sandwich Course Student shall be eligible for being engaged as an
             apprentice under the Act after passing the final examination of the technical
             institution wherein such student is undergoing the course unless so
             approved by the Regional Central Apprenticeship Advisers;

      (c)    a person who has been a Graduate or Technician          or   Technician
             (Vocational) apprentice under the Act and in whose case the contract of
             apprenticeship was terminated for any reason whatsoever shall not be
             eligible for being engaged as an apprentice again under the Act without
             the prior approval of the Apprenticeship Adviser.

Linked Act provisions

Read with section(s) 3. Also test enforcement under sections 30, 31 and 31A from 22 June 2026.

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